Michael WilsonLAUREN VICTORIA BURKE
As the 22nd Canadian ambassador to the United States, from 2006 to 2009, Michael Wilson found the biggest challenge was standing out in a chorus of diplomatic voices.
"There are 156 embassies in Washington, D.C., so it's very competitive," says Mr. Wilson. "My best approach in getting my point of view heard was to recognize that the person on the other side of the conversation - the American - was dealing with 156 people like me. So I tried to put my head inside of theirs to talk about the global aspects of the particular issue.
"Once we had that engaged dialogue on the global issue, I'd say, 'And by the way, here's the point of view that we have in Canada that we'd like you to take into account.'"
Mr. Wilson, who was recently named chairman of Barclays Capital Canada, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC, takes the same approach for success in the financial world.
"Again, put your head inside the head of your client - it's the same sort of thing that I did with the U.S. audience when I was ambassador - and think, 'What is the best way that I could help my client?'" says Mr. Wilson. "The rest will follow."
The more you think about issues from other peoples' perspectives, the better you'll do, says chairman of Barclays Capital Canada
His passion for business began around the dinner table in discussions with his father, who was in the finance business. The family moved around a lot, from Toronto to Hamilton to Montreal and then back to Toronto. He attended Upper Canada College and Trinity College at the University of Toronto, choosing courses about monetary policy, financial markets and systems and the general economy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1959.
"I didn't have to think very hard - it was going to be somewhere in the financial business," Mr. Wilson says of his career. "Once I got into the investment business, I maintained a very real interest in public policy aspects, and that's what led me into politics. And if you look at what I've done with my life, it was either with the financial business in the private sector or the Department of Finance as Minister of Finance in the public sector."
Mr. Wilson was first elected to the House of Commons in 1979 and was Minister of Finance from 1984 until 1991, introducing the controversial GST in 1990. From 1991 to 1993, he was Minister of Industry, Science and Technology as well as Minister for International Trade, helping to negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Mexico. As a member of the Cabinet, he has represented Canada at the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the G7 finance ministers meetings.
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In the private sector, Mr. Wilson was chairman and CEO of UBS Global Asset Management (Canada) Co., a worldwide financial institution, from 2001 to 2006. Before 2000, he was vice-chairman and director of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and has been director of numerous companies including Manulife Financial. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and York University and is an officer of the Order of Canada.
"The best advice that I've ever received over the years is to keep active," says Mr. Wilson, 72. "Keep reading, talking to people, keep engaged and curious - all of these things. What I've found is that if I did that, quite frankly, I'd surprise myself at what came out of my mouth sometimes. I didn't realize I knew that."
What's essential to him is feeling comfortable with what he's doing.
"I cannot have my integrity put into question by something I've done," says Mr. Wilson. "So I'm always thinking, is this the right thing to do? What are the pros and cons of this? And the more you base that on the ethics of the situation, the better off you'll be in practically everything you do."
And how does he judge people he's dealing with?
"I ask them a bunch of questions," he says. "I like to understand what their responses are and I will listen carefully to their responses - not the direct response, but what I sense is behind that response.
"When I'm talking to someone - and I'm not unusual in this - you get a natural sense, or a natural gut feel, about an individual. And the more questions you ask, you will either prove that instinctive reaction or show that that instinctive reaction was too much of a reflective action as opposed to something that is fundamental. So ask the questions, but also trust your instincts."